Sanctification

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:12-14 ESV)

I had a very insightful discussion today. The person with whom I was conversing was curious about why I was “so negative” about Barack Obama. She was quite excited about him becoming the US President. I first mentioned his economic plan of increasing deficit spending by reducing taxes and increasing Government spending. She looked at me as if I was a cretin. She informed me that all of the Nobel Prize winners in economics were applauding his plan. I then said that I had a minor in Economics and had taken some Master level classes in it as well and that deficit spending by a Government is not the panacea that most people think it is and can cause the Dollar to become valueless. It actually takes money away from future generations who will have to deal with a huge national debt. She then said that that was what FDR did to end the Great Depression. I then told her that the Great Depression did not end until WWII started. The war caused it to end. All FDR’s programs did was to give help to some. However, I then said that my real problem with Mr. Obama and his administration was their focus on taking away all restrictions on abortion as well as promoting their homosexual agenda along with veiled threats of enforcing hate crimes against those who preach against these things. She then told me that she did not believe that he would do any of that and besides, the economy was far more important to her than what the Bible said about those things.

The Liberals with whom I work are overjoyed with what is going on in Washington. Some of their faces have a glow about them as they walk the halls. They also have a permanent smile to go with it. They are also deliberately deaf to the truth. Have they been deceived? I also heard a bit on the radio as I drove home from work today about Bill Maher’s crusade to “harpoon” all religion. He especially hates Christianity. He considers it the primary cause of all of the earth’s problems. His devaluing of Christianity seems to be just another example of the condescending attitude I experienced during that discussion earlier today. No matter how firm we are when we tell the truth to them, if God does not open their hard hearts they will not hear it.

What I have been trying to get my coworker to understand is that there is a vast difference between genuine Christianity and that old form that she grew up with in Europe that is all about religiosity instead of what we teach here, which is that genuine believers are new creations and are in the midst of God’s plan of sanctification for them until He takes them home. They have a living faith and the Holy Spirit who is their power source. According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q. 35), sanctification is “the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.”

Sanctification is a continuing change, which is worked by God in genuine believers. The result of this is that they are made more and more free from sinful habits as Christlike affections, dispositions, and virtues are formed in them. Of course, we must understand that this in no way totally eradicates all sin from the Christian immediately. However, it is far more than a force that merely restrains or represses sin without progressively mortifying it. No, Sanctification is the term that describes real transformation of the genuine Christian and not just an outer appearance of godliness.

The word Sanctify in the New Testament is the Greek word ἁγιάζω or hagiazō. This verb means “to hallow or to be holy.” This is God’s work in those He saves. Prior to our salvation, all of us are spiritually filthy. When God begins this sanctification process, He is actually removing us or separating us from fellowship with the world. All Christians are called to not love the world and this becomes more and more true in them as their fellowship with God grows while their fellowship with the world dies away. This is how God sanctifies His people and conforms them to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29.) This amounts to a moral renovation, which flows from the work of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:13; 12:1,2; 1 Corinthians 6:11, 19, 20; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:22-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 13:20,21). This is God calling His children to holiness while graciously giving them what He commands (1 Thessalonians 4:4; 5:23).

We talk a great deal here about regeneration. All genuine Christians are regenerate. They are New Creations. Regeneration is birth while Sanctification is growth. As New Creations believers receive at their new birth from God desires that were non-existent before including desires for God, for holiness, and to be the cause of bringing glory to His name. They also deeply desire fellowship with God through prayer and worship. They also desire to love and help others. God implants these at salvation. They are grown through the work of the Holy Spirit according to God’s purpose. This enables Christians to fulfill these godly desires (Philippians 2:12, 13). As they mature, Christians become more and more Christlike. Christ’s character becomes more and more manifest in them through the fruit of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 4:19; 5:22-25).

Regeneration, like baptism by the Holy Spirit, takes place in a moment at salvation. In regeneration, the believer is actually brought from spiritual death unto life. This is God’s work exclusively. Our sanctification is an ongoing process depending upon God’s continual work in us. It consists of our seemingly never-ending struggle against sin. We are genuinely sanctified as we seek to obey God in our repentance fully dependent on God (2 Corinthians 7:1; Philippians 3:10-14; Hebrews 12:14). Never forget my brethren that we cannot do good works without our Lord’s enablement, which He is ready to give in order to strengthen us so we are able to abide in Him by asking for His help in all we do (Colossians 1:11; 1 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 1:7; 2:1).

My brethren, our sanctification is the process through which our gracious God grows our Lord’s character in us over time. A huge part of this is our struggle with sin. We err when we try to do this without our Lord’s help. In fact, we are not abiding at the level we need to if we try to be self-sufficient in this. Remember, we did not save ourselves nor can we sanctify ourselves.

I am convinced that how we deal with the Obama administration during this time is a huge part of our sanctification. We must balance out what we are commanded to do in that we must be good citizens, but we must also be obedient to God in all things. Therefore, when our government attempts to enforce unrighteousness upon us we have no choice except to take a stand in obedience to God. This is exactly the opposite of my friend’s remark above about caring far more about the economy than what the Bible has to say about homosexuality and the murder of unborn babies. Let us seek the Lord in prayer for wisdom, discernment, and direction. We cannot compromise my brethren.

Yes, that’s the word I was looking for – euphoria! Exactly, that is what I am observing here. Those who are so excited about Mr. Obama obviously consider morality and God’s law to be insignificant. I agree with your analysis. Consider this, could God be giving these people the rope to complete that will be used in their execution? In other words, they are proving with their actions that their judgment is just. Sad, very sad, but come soon Lord Jesus!

Thanks, Mike. We must all take the time to realize the huge ramifications of this election and what it means to be a Christian. The world can never be fixed by humans. How sad that so many don’t know that.

I had a similar experience, Mike. I watched the inauguration with two workers, both very liberal, one Jewish, one Catholic. They had tissues with them because they were afraid they would cry with sheer joy and awe at a black man being elected. When Rick Warren prayed, the Jewish woman gasped and said, “I wonder why he said that. What if people don’t believe in Jesus?” All I could think was that 2000 years later, the name above all names is still an offense to the Jews. As you and a commenter wrote, most of my coworkers had a glow on their faces and a sense of euphoria over Obama’s election and inauguration.

I, too, work in an office with a preponderance of liberals. As a conservative Christian, I am definitely in the minority; in fact, I can count the number of like-minded coworkers on one hand. I pray daily for a bold witness and love for my coworkers.

Amen, yes, I am convinced that God is using this in our sanctification. He is preparing us. Yes, Lord prepare our hearts and give us what we need in order to obey You in being bold witnesses for the truth, the Gospel.

How do you think I feel: I’m the only black woman in New England (I live one hour from Harvard Law School) who isn’t supporting this new administration. Most, if not all of my Christian friends are afraid to speak out. (white and black) The Euphoric air around here is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Instead of No Blacks allowed, look to NO CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS ALLOWED.
Pray for me!
in love,
KF

As I look around these days, more and more I see that what the Bible says about the total depravity of man is true. That they are God hating, sin loving creatures, just like I used to be. I heard a preacher the other day say that “preachers” like Joel Osteen are the judgement of God on America.

There is indeed a cloud of euphoria in the air at my uber-liberal workplace, too. Almost everyone here — save a handful or so — is lauding Obama to the point of worship. They’re swept up in a spirit of deceit, being “pied-pipered” in the direction of the end. Folks are ripe for Antichrist. Thank God for His redemption, and may others in our workplaces taste the living water of salvation.

“She then said that that was what FDR did to end the Great Depression.”

We wonder why the euphoria but forget that educated thinking people really believe the above sentence because they have been told this over and over. Even the Treasury Sec Morganthal (sp?) admitted later that what they did prolonged the depression. Only the war changed things. yet, Roosevelt is still a hero.

All the public schools in my city gave each child a book about Obama. The children are really freaking me out. They just worship him. He is a like a rock star to them.

Yes Lin, those with discernment given by God alone can enable us to see what is really going on. It is heartbreaking in my case. I told a friend yesterday at work that it is actually a burden to see these things through the lens God gives us. Let us pray for each other that God will uphold and sustain us through this.

Hi Mike
I agree that it is a burden when we see things through His lens. If we tried to deal with it in our own strength, it would surely drown us completely! We have to be able to ask the Lord how to step back from this world we live in and be detached on every level, where He needs us to be detached.

I was sitting with friends this afternoon and we were discussing the aspect of how the ‘world’ could ever come to adore one man. This whole Obama thing is like a run-up to the future of the Antichrist – wherever we look people have adoration, euphoria and absolute wonder over this ‘saviour of the world’ man. Even here in South Africa, the hero worship is incredible. Before last year, I could not see how this unity of heart and mind for one person could ever take place. I now see clearly how this can be made possible.

Whatever it is, the Lord has allowed him into the position he is now in, but it is for God’s purposes, not his own nor for peoples’ purpose, no matter what anyone thinks. God’s sovereign timeline is still moving forward.
Bless you

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The Purpose of Possessing the Treasure is to be spiritual food for the suffering Church

Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. (Colossians 1:24-26 ESV)

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The way of escape

"To believe that He will preserve us is, indeed, a means of preservation. God will certainly preserve us, and make a way of escape for us out of the temptation, should we fall. We are to pray for what God has already promised. Our requests are to be regulated by His promises and commands. Faith embraces the promises and so finds relief." - John Owen

How to be free from bondage to our flesh and temptation

"If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: 'God, preserve my soul, and keep my heart and all its ways so that I will not be entangled.' When this is true in our lives, a passing temptation will not overcome us. We will remain free while others lie in bondage." - John Owen

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About me

My name is Mike Ratliff. I am a δοῦλος (slave) of the Κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν (Lord Jesus Christ.) I have been a Bible teacher since the late 1980's. I am currently learning Koine Greek, which I began in 1992 and will continue to do so until the Lord takes me home. I am Reformed in my theology because I recognize that God is Sovereign over all things. I write these posts as God directs. I am also part of the discernment team at Christian Research Network.

OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT

by G. D. Watson

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.

God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.

God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.